The following Press Release was received from Patricia Walls Stamm, CG®, CGLSM*
The National Genealogical Society Opens Registration for a Guided Research Trip to Two of our Nation’s Important Repositories
FALLS CHURCH, VA, 15 FEBRUARY 2018 — Explore the Wisconsin Historical Society Library and Archives—one of our nation’s most extensive repositories — and the Max Kade Institute, a notable source of German and German American research materials. Sign up today for the National Genealogical Society (NGS) guided research trip to Madison, Wisconsin, 6–10 August 2018. Registration is limited to thirty participants.
The Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS) Library and Archives’ genealogy and history collections are national in scope, including records of people who lived or passed through its territory as well as throughout the U.S. Its collection of newspapers, journals, magazines, and union and guilds publications from around the country is only surpassed by the Library of Congress. The Society’s Draper collection of 491 volumes (ca. 1775-1815) concentrates on the area known as “Trans-Allegheny West,” including the western Carolinas and Virginia, some portions of Georgia and Alabama, the entire Ohio River valley, and parts of the Mississippi River valley.
Family historians will find material on Native American tribes, French-Canadians, Northern Europeans—primarily from Germany and Norway—African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics, all which called Wisconsin home. Records also cover the rise and diminution of miners, loggers, and railroad workers, and once held Confederate prisoners of war during the Civil War. Researchers also will discover records on Wisconsin’s northern neighbor Canada. In all, the WHS houses more than four million records and serves as the Wisconsin State Archives. The Wisconsin State Archives include state, county, and local government records. Land deeds, naturalization records, tax rolls, and court documents are just some of the original records that genealogists can access at the Archives.
Family historians with ancestors from Germany will be especially interested in visiting the Max Kade Institute. It has a robust collection of German-American newspapers, letters, diaries, and church and business records. The Institute is also an excellent resource for locating historic German-language, European towns and villages.
For genealogists with ancestors from Norway, Madison is home to the Norwegian American Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library. Its resources include emigration lists, Norwegian farm histories and topographical maps, printed histories, and files with information on obituaries, wedding and birth announcements, feature stories, and other events.
Research consultants Rev. David McDonald, DMin, CGSM, and Patricia Walls Stamm, CG, CGLSM ; insure that your introduction to these institutions is both productive and enriching while conducting your personal research.
The trip includes:
- Online orientation to prepare for your research trip to Madison;
- Four nights at the Lowell Center, including daily continental breakfast and free internet in rooms;
- Meet and greet on Monday afternoon at the hotel;
- Orientation and tour at the repositories;
- Four days of personal research;
- Individual research consultations with group leaders throughout the trip;
- Fees, taxes, and gratuities (unless otherwise stated).
Space is limited to only 30 individuals. To make your reservation or to learn more, visit https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/conferences_events/research_trips/wi_research_trip .
Founded in 1903, the National Genealogical Society is dedicated to genealogical education, the highest standards of research, and the preservation of genealogical records. The Falls Church, Virginia, based nonprofit is the premier national society for everyone, from the beginner to the most advanced family historian, seeking excellence in publications, educational offerings, and guidance in research. It also offers many opportunities to interact with other genealogists.
